Yes, I know...

Remember how I had a list of 101 goals to complete in 1001 days?  I only have 28 days left now, hard to believe!  I haven't mentioned my progress in quite some time.  Not because I've forgotten about them {actually I think of them pretty often.  And my friend here keeps making me want to just go out run a mile, #6}, but quite frankly because there really hasn't been any progress.  Gosh, life and priorities have changed a lot in the 2.5 years since when I wrote my list.  Some of the things I just don't care about anymore. I even revised many of my remaining goals to things that were still related but more current.  So yes, I know...I'm running out of time, have a lot I didn't accomplish, but you know what...who cares?!  =)

A new #10.

On my 101 goals list, that is. Learn how to prepare an over-easy egg. That's Kevin's favorite choice of egg, and all I know how to do is scrambled, which by the I have mastered (just ask if you want to know my technique), or hard-boiled but that one hardly counts. So usually Kevin has to prepare his own egg, and I always feel bad about that, but every time I try to cook it I mess it up and break the yolk. So I am officially declaring this as a goal for the next 523 days 15 hours and 16 minutes. Any tips?

Added: I guess the hard part for me is the flip. I don't understand what you flip. Okay, so you don't totally smack flip it over (how do ya like those terms? haha) like a pancake. So you roll it? How far? Do you fold it over like an omlette? (how do you spell that word?) Or do you roll it all the way over so the yolk is touching the pan? And then how long does it sit til it's done??

Kickoff to 2009!

Wow, I truly can't believe that it's a whole new year already! Time seems like it's been stopped for about 3 months now while we've been in between jobs, and we've been so fixed on getting a house and everything, the time has slipped away!

I'm slowly but surely plugging away on my giant list of goals to be completed before July 29, 2010 (101 Goals in 1001 Days). Some things I've been crossing off just because as time goes on they don't really matter anymore (like doing church time with Eli--he got older and now he obeys us and understands when to be quiet so he can be in church with us without us having to practice at home). But here are a few things I'm really going to be doing this year:

• Planting a garden (Goal #35)--corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, and maybe radishes--especially since we're moving to the country
• Run 1 mile without stopping (Goal #6)--Kevin and I both want this to be a year of fitness and get into some actual workout routine (Doesn't everyone say that at the beginning of the new year?)
• Read a book just for fun. (Goal #34)--seriously, why has it been sooo long since I've done this??
• Goal #44 and #57 just might be combined-- Next year is Kevin's and my 5th anniversary and I really want to do something special for a whole weekend, so I've dreamed up in my head that we'll go to Colorado and stay in a lodge for an extended weekend. We'd love to visit my brother in Colorado this summer but we aren't sure what Kevin's work is going to look like and when he'll start getting vacation time.
• Complete emergency fund in savings. (Goal #64) This and goal #75 to follow budget for house renovations go together. We're hoping that living in the country/small town will help us change our life style and spend less money eating out, etc. Once we get finished buying the house and everything we're going to get back into our cash budget.
• Make nursery decor for Hannah's room. (Goal #90)-- I cannot wait for Hannah to FINALLY have her own room (and crib finally! instead of pack n play) and to decorate with all the girly stuff! =)
• Finish scrapbooks (Goals #20-24). Once we get into our house we're hoping to set up a scrapbook desk (an old desk we found at Kevin's parents' house) so I can have a place to work without worrying about cleaning it back up every single time.
• Pick one way to serve at church (Goal #80). This will especially be good as we're going into a new church family, a good way to get to know people and settle in.

I feel like I should be including spiritual things too because that's very important also, but it's not as easy as just a checklist, so we'll just leave that personal. It's definitely an area in which I hope to grow this year though, and I PRAY that we find a good church family that can be encouraging to us.

So how about you? What are your goals for the new year?

Goals update.

So remember how I had goals? It's been a loong time since I've posted any updates, but I really am still working on them. Some have probably changed such that I don't really care about them anymore (so I'll just cross them off) and some have been revised to a goal slightly different from the original. So here's the update:

#2 Return to pre-pregnancy weight by end of July. I got mostly there. I still have about 3 more pounds I wanted to lose but can't seem to shake them.

#25 Finish first year of baby scrapbook. (Eli's baby scrapbook) Well, after much thought I came up with another solution to the fact that I just don't have time or desire such that the project has just become a burden. I decided to make a picture slideshow set to music, featuring all those first-year favorites and milestones. Turned out pretty neat, and I'm happy with the result and the fact that I could do it ALL in just a couple weeks. AND another plus is that I can reproduce it for other family members to enjoy also.

#26 Complete and print ONE digital scrapbook page so I can decide if I like that method or not. Just not going to do this one. I'm not going to start digital scrapbooking. As cool as I think it looks, I just don't have that creativity and my pages never look the way I'd likem to.

#39 Read Babywise. I got enough notes from friends to get out of it what I wanted.

#43 Plan one fun family activity every week for 1 month. Summer was easy. Didn't have to do much thinking on this....

#45. Get new family photo. STILL working on this but just can't seem to get a good one. These were our attempts but nothing's worthy of an 8x10 on our living room wall. And so remains the family pic of when Eli was 6 months old!#46 Go to Vermont. Ended up going to New Hampshire instead because there were more waterfalls and trails there, and I found a very affordable cabin there for us to rent.

#47 Go to Long Island. Not going to do this one. We're out of time and it no longer seems to really matter anymore.

#48 Go camping. Did it! And it was fun! See the pictures HERE.

#50 Go an entire month without any TV. We've pretty much done this. A few months ago we moved our TV out of the living room and put it upstairs in our bedroom. So when we DID watch it, it would seem like something special instead of being a regular part of our days.

#58 Choose a couple hobby. It was going to be painting, but we haven't done anything with it. So we'll see if there's something else we can do together.

#77 Set up our will. I've really been wanting to do this ever since Eli was born, and finally this week we got it done! Wanted to take advantage of the free legal services we could get through the Navy!

#86 Organize magazine articles. I got them cut out of the magazines and in page protector sheets in my binder. And the rest of the magazine I can use for Eli to make collages before throwing them out.

#93 Put a med kit in the van. I think Kevin did this awhile ago.

#101 Finish touch-up paint on screen doors. Eh, it no longer seems to really matter, so oh well if it doesn't get done cuz we're outta here!

**How are you doing with YOUR goals??

Living Well

I haven't blogged about it yet, but for about a month now I've been "working on" my goal to return to pre-pregnancy weight by the end of July (#2). That means losing about 8-10 pounds, and that is hard hard hard for me to do. It just is, I don't know why. I could work out every day, which I hate doing, and still not really lose anything. I don't have much of a Plan (which is why "working on" above is in quotes). I'm just watching the amount I eat and trying to exercise (walk) regularly. I'm part of a stroller class that meets three days a week to walk for 30 min and do exercises for 30 minutes. I try to do those same exercises at home on the off days. My trouble spots are my arms and my stomach (since I just had a baby), so I'm trying to focus on those areas. And I'm keeping track of my exercise in my daily planner. I'm happy to say that this past week was a good week, and while I had been pushing 150, this week it's looking to be staying around 148ish. My weight fluctuates a lot within in the day and from day to day so it's hard to say whether I've actually lost those 2lbs, but for today, I'll say that I did it! Because it's making me feel motivated to continue to LIVE WELL!

Go to Amy's to read her weekly post about dieting. And I'll check in again next week!

#85: Organize recipes.

My old system for my recipes was a recipe box filled with more than a hundred recipe cards. I liked having the cards because they were easy to pull out for cooking. But what I didn't like was that a) it was hard to dig through and a find any specific recipe I wanted, b) it was hard to search through for meal ideas unless I pulled out the entire stack, c) it was hard to maintain order for any subcategories, and d) I always had loose full-page printouts laying around cuz they didn't fit in the box.

I've been thinking about this for quite awhile on how to resolve those problems. I thought about typing them into the computer and making my own personal cookbook, but I've put a lot of effort into making the recipe cards, I like them because they're small for on the counter while I'm cooking, and I like to try new recipes and a cookbook really wouldn't allow me add any, not to mention all the time it would take to type them all up. So, I kept thinking and decided to make a recipe binder. I ordered two sets of these sheets from Pillsbury, used a regular binder I had laying around the house, and just inserted all my recipe cards in an organized fashion with entrees sorted by type of meat and desserts sorted by pies, cakes, bars, cookies, etc. And I can still include my full-sheet recipes (either I haven't tried them yet, or they're too long for a card) and use a regular page protector sheet instead of the Pillsbury ones. I still have to make my divider pages for each category but otherwise the whole project just took a couple hours in one afternoon! And I'm excited about my new system! Check it out!

And it's another thing completed on my list of 101 Goals!

MY Goals for 2008

I already have my list of 101 Goals for 1001 Days, so I really didn't stop to think about what my goals were for 2008. But after stopping by a few blogs I realized that I DO have a few main things I want to work on about myself or do for myself.

During the year of 2008...

I want to really work on my patience. I've been having such a time with Eli, and it's really come to my attention how impatient I really am. And it wears me out so quickly and everything blows out of proportion and into something bigger, and it's such an awful example to Eli. So somehow I want to really work on being more patient. Being firm with him, yet not raising my voice or saying things out of anger. Every morning at breakfast I pray with Eli for joy, peace, patience, and self-control for the day so that I may glorify God in everything I do and say. But that's not enough, because it's not working.

I need to do more.

I need to get up in the morning before Eli for once so that I can spend time with the Lord--in the Word and in prayer. Prepare myself for the day. Prepare my heart. Instead of just diving in head first with no preparation, still feeling groggy and having had no time for "myself" yet. So getting up and having "quiet time" first thing in the morning is something I really want and need to do.

I've been saying this for more than a year now and it's never really happened. I am not a morning person. I am tired. I remember the time when Eli was still not yet sleeping through the night and I was getting up every hour to put his darn pacifier back in his mouth. And I remember thinking "Right now my body just needs the rest. But once Eli is sleeping through the night, I'll start getting up earlier in the morning." Ha! That was a YEAR AGO, and look at me! Now we have ANOTHER baby coming and that's going to start all over again! So I need to give up on all the excuses and just do what I need to do! Such a practice of spiritual discipline, wow. It's hard. BUT this year I am going to do it!

So that's two things... 1) Work on patience--no raising voice, no bad words, no actions out of anger. And 2) Start my mornings with "quiet time".

And a third thing is a hobby thing that really needs to get tackled. It's been at a standstill since Eli was born, and now he's almost 18 months old! I need to figure out what I am going to do with my scrapbooking. Am I going to convert to digital scrapbooking? Or am I going to finish out with paper scrapbooking? And how am I going to get caught up on our family photo album, as there are still NO pictures in there from since Eli was born! Ack! I really need to get to work on that!

Those are the three biggest things I'm challenging myself to for 2008, though I still have a whole list of things I'll be working on too.... setting date nights with Kevin (even if they're at home), doing daily devotions as a couple (I found THIS BOOK, ordered it today, and can't wait to see what it's like!!), establishing daily Bible time with children, and finding a workout routine that I enjoy (this would be a miracle, haha).

So those are my biggest goals for the year. If you have any advice or tips that might help things along, do share! Blessings on your year!

#100 Completed: Fridge Magnets

One project I just crossed off my 101 Goals list was to make fridge magnets out of magazine pictures. I cut out some images of common things Eli sees every day, pasted them on white cardstock (so the back of the picture would be white instead of the other side of the magazine page), laminated them with self-laminating paper from Walmart, and stuck a magnet on the back. They turned out really nice and they serve two purposes: 1) they keep Eli entertained when I'm busy working in the kitchen since he likes to be near me at all times, and 2) it gives us good opportunity to practice words, since he still is not talking! So check out my work...

#93 Completed!

I completed #93 of my list of 101 Goals. I organized the freezer with cheap storage baskets I found at Walmart. Check out the before and after pics...

BEFORE

AFTER

Now that the freezer is organized, I actually know what's in there! And I could probably feed the family for most of the week just cleaning out what we already have! I can just slide out the basket to get what I need instead of digging around through everything. It's VERY nice, and I just had to share!

#36: Finish reading A Mom After God's Own Heart

I did it! I only had ONE chapter left when I posted this as a goal, so today I just sat down and did it! Hopefully in the next week I can get my book notes posted!

To work on this weekend:
* Read one chapter of Shepherding a Child's Heart with Kevin. (#37 and #54)
* Drink water. (#7)
* Take care of T-shirts. (#98)
* Print Godly Tomatoes. (#38)
* Call my friend Erin, who's offered to tell me about how she makes bread. (#59 and #11)

Click here to see my complete list of 101 Goals.

101 Goals: Complete list!

I saw this at Java Mama's blog a couple months ago and was inspired to start a goals list, and then today I saw it again at Amy's blog, so I decided to get back to it. What's "IT", you say? Read on...

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:

1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

A lot will be happening in the next couple years...new baby (due February 2008), Kevin's new job and relocation fall 2008. And who knows what's in store for the year following! So, with all that being said, here are my goals for the next 1001 days!

101 Goals in 1001 Days

Health
1. Keep pregnancy weight gain to 35 lbs or less. completed 2/14/08
2. Return to pre-pregnancy weight by end of July (baby due in Feb, wedding in Sept.) completed 7/30/08
3. Walk 5x a week
4. Join fall walking group.
5. Figure out walking plan for winter months. Walking group is going to meet at the mall during winter months.
6. Run 1 mile without stopping.
7. Drink 8 glasses of water/day for 2 consecutive weeks.
8. Take prenatal vitamin daily for remainder of pregnancy. completed 2/14/08
9. Fruit and veggie included in every dinner.
10. Learn how to prepare an over-easy egg. completed 4/09
11. Learn how to make homemade bread. completed 3/20/08

Spiritual
12. Get up at 6:15am 3 days a week for 2 weeks. completed 1/28/08
13. Prayer journal every day for 2 months.
14. Daily personal Bible reading for 1 month.
15. Read book together with friend.
16. Memorize 50 scripture verses.
17. Review memory verses twice a week.
18. Read through entire Bible.
19. Find a devotional book.

Personal
20. Finish all pre-baby scrapbooks:
21. Finish honeymoon section of wedding scrapbook.
22. Finish college scrapbook.
23. Start and finish Europe scrapbook.
24. Start and finish Denver scrapbook.
25. Finish first year of baby scrapbook. completed 7/8/08
26. Complete and print ONE digital scrapbook page so I can decide if I like that method or not.
27. Finish Eli’s curtains and room décor.
28. Update photo album before second baby. completed 1/21/08
29. Find way to limit/control amount of time on computer.
30. Figure out RSS feed for blogs. completed 3/24/08 thanks, Paul!
31. Take a dessert to our neighbor. completed 10/22/09
32. Read through entire course of online photography lessons.
33. Watch Photoshop tutorial.
34. Read a book just for fun. completed 4/26/09
35. Plant a garden. completed 5/09

Family
36. Finish reading A Mom After God's Own Heart. completed 11/1/07
37. Finish reading Shepherding a Child’s Heart. completed 2/3/08
38. Read/print all of “Raising Godly Tomatoes”. completed 11/27/07
39. Read Babywise. completed 2/10/08
40. Read Bringing Up Boys.
41. Finish watching parenting video and take notes.
42. Read a book to children every day. completed 5/4/09
43. Plan one fun family activity every week for 1 month. completed 8/20/08
44. Take vacation to Colorado. completed 7/4/09
45. Get new family photo.
46. Go to Vermont. completed /21/08
47. Go to Long Island.
48. Go camping. completed 6/15/08
49. Find play group for Eli.
50. Go an entire month without any TV. completed 7/30/08
51. Establish special time with each child daily. completed 5/4/09
52. Create list of specific rules for Eli.
53. Go 24 hrs without computer.

Marriage
54. Start twice-a-month date nights and do for 3 months.
55. Read book together with Kevin.
56. Post Husband Encouragement Blog once a month for 6 months. completed 5/4/09
57. Take a short trip together.
58. Choose a couple hobby (hobby Kevin and I can do together).
59. Make each half-anniversary unique for 3 years. (something besides just dinner)

Friends
60. Call a friend once a week for 1 month.
61. Keep up with all birthdays for 3 months.
62. Plan a summer BBQ for friends.
63. Send baby gifts to "expecting" friends. completed 11/16/07

Financial
64. Savings account up to X amount. completed 4/17/09
65. Lower grocery bill to $75 a week for 2 months.
66. Start Eli and Hannah savings every month (X amount).
67. Start saving for retirement. completed 1/09
68. Follow Christmas budget.
69. Start supplemental income.
70. Make V.I.P. status on Treasure Trooper.
71. Save up for a "new" Jeep.
72. Complete Supermarket Savings 101 course.
73. Learn the Walgreens EasySaver program. completed 11/27/07
74. Go an entire month without any unnecessary spending. (dessert, snacks, clothes, new makeup, etc)
75. Create and follow budget for remodeling new house.
76. Always search consignments before buying new. completed 4/20/09
77. Set up our will. completed 8/08

Church
78. Start inviting people over once a month.
79. Find one new activity/service to attend regularly.
80. Pick at least one thing (way to serve) to do at church. (ex: cooking, nursery duty, etc) completed 7/1/09
81. Train Eli to sit in church with us. completed 11/1/08
82. Do "church time" at home with Eli 4 times a week for 1 month.

Household
83. Create cleaning schedule and follow it for 3 weeks
84. Print revised cleaning schedule and follow it for another 3 weeks. completed 1/10/08
85. Organize recipes. completed 5/4/08
86. Organize magazine articles. completed 5/30/08
87. Find new "system" for stuff that gets put on top of piano.
88. Organize/get rid of box of wall hangings and picture frames that we don't have up.
89. Find bigger bookshelf for children's books.
90. Make nursery decor for Baby Girl's room. (after we move) completed 2/14/09
91. Take old baby items to consignment store (for credit). sold!
92. Buy a fire extinguisher. completed 11/11/07
93. Put a med kit in the van. completed 4/30/08
94. Organize freezer with baskets. completed 11/5/07
95. Get piano tuned.
96. Get caster wheels for piano.
97. Clean up French horn (oil and polish).
98. Sell old books we no longer want.
99. Throw away old T-shirts. Completed 11/5/07
100. Make homemade fridge magnets for Eli out of magazine pictures. Completed 11/10/07
101. Finish touch-up paint on screen doors.

Start date: November 1, 2007
Completion date: July 29, 2010

I just discovered there's an actual website for this 1001 Day Project! So go check out others who are doing this, finish your list, and then add it to the master list!